Device in venetian blinds or the like



July 14, 1953 e. JOHANSSON DEVICE IN VENETIAN BLINDS OR THE LIKE FiledOct. 4, 1950 Jimm /70- Girs Java/vase flGE a/T Patented July 14, 19532,645,283 I C E DEVICE IN VENETIAN BLINDS OR THE LIKE Giite J ohansson,Nykoping, Sweden Application October 4, 1950, Serial No. 188,369

In Sweden October 8, 1949 2 Claims.

This invention relates to an arrangement in Venetian blinds of the typein which the slats are supported by ladder tapes extending lateral- 1yto the same on either side thereof and secured at the top and the bottomto head and bottom rails, whereby the slats can be caused, by influenceof the tapes, to assume any desired angle of inclination, all for thepurpose. of completely or partly preventing the light from passingbetween them. The main feature of the invention is that a longitudinallyextending shaft is loosely mounted in the head rail, on which shaft thetapes carrying the slats are suspended, and that friction surfaces orthe like are so arranged on the shaft that the tapes arecarried along bythe friction surfaces due to their rotary motion when the shaftis'caused to rotate in one direction or the other. According to theinvention, one end of the shaft may be provided with a toothed wheelmeshing with an endless screw or the like, and a rope sheave or the likemay be secured on the screw, so that by actuation of the rope sheave, arotary movement may be imparted to the toothed wheel and accordinglyalso to the shaft.

The accompanying drawing illustrates an embodiment of the deviceaccording to the invention.

Fig. 1 is a top view of the blind.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through a portion of the blind.

Fig. 3 shows a section along the line III-III in Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 is asection along the line IV--IV in Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 2 designates a head railintended to be secured for instance above a window and having in itsupper portion a longitudinally extending groove 3 accommodating a shaft4. The head rail 2 also has bores 5 arranged centrally relatively to theshaft 4 and disposed directly in front of respective ladder tapes 6,which support the slats forming the blind. A friction roller 1, made forinstance of rubber, is provided on the shaft and in each of the bores.Preferably the rollers should be grooved in order to prevent the tape,which is stretched by the slats, from gliding on the roller when theshaft is rotated. In the lower portion of the head rail is alongitudinally extending groove 8, accommodating the cords 10, which runa known manner against and over guiding rollers 9 to lower and raise theblind. The cords In, which run through holes in the slats and have theirends fastened to a bottom rail, have their free ends running through acollecting funnel II. In the lower portion of the latter there projectsa hook member I2, which prevents a wheel 13, loosely arranged in thefunnel and provided with lateral grooves, from falling out of thefunnel. Said wheel, which is disposed below the cords I0, willautomatically follow the cords upwards into the converging portion ofthe funnel and block the cords against the walls of the same when, afterraising of the slats, the free ends of the cords are brought towardsvertical position, i. e. into contact with the wheel. In order torelease the cords from engagement with the wheel, the cords are broughtoutwards to contact the downwards converging outer wall of the funnel,the wheel I3 falling down on the hook member 12 and being released fromthe cords.

In one end of the blind there is secured on the shaft 4 a toothed wheell4 engaging with a worm l5 on a shaft IS. The wheel l4 and the shaft l6are journalled in a housing I1. Secured to one end of the shaft I6 is arope sheave l8, over which a cord I9 is arranged, and by means of saidcord the rope sheave and accordingly also the shaft 4 with the frictionrollers 1 can be rotated. When the cord I9 is pulled in one direction orthe other, the shaft 4 with the friction rollers 1 will rotate in onedirection or the other, one half of the tapes 6 being raised and theirother half beinglowered, or vice versa, whereby the angular position ofthe slats is changed.

The invention is not confined to the embodiment described in the textand illustrated in the drawings, but may be varied in many ways withrespect to its details without abandoning the inventional idea. Thefriction rollers may be used also in case the device comprises more thanone shaft.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a Venetian blind having a head rail, ladder tapes suspended fromthe head rail, and horizontal slats supported on the ladder tapes, agroove extending throughout the length of the head rail in the uppersurface thereof, openings in the head rail communicating with saidgroove and extending to the bottom surface of the head rail eachprovidingia passage for a ladder tape, a shaft lying loosely in thegroove, friction rollers fixed on the shaft each in alignment with oneof the openings, the ladder tapes being looped over the rollers, andmeans for rotating the shaft in either direction.

2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the frictionrollers are corrugated.

Go'rE JOHANSSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,072,269 Maokin Mar. 2, 1937 2,132,991 Mintz Oct. 11, 19382,180,311 Nisenson Nov. 14, 1939 2,182,804 Hasse Dec. 12, 1939 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country I Date 1,097 Great Britain 1864

